And Kevin Miles, chief executive of the FSF, said: “Away supporters are vital to the health of our game and football matches would be far poorer places without their presence. Football shouldn’t take them for granted.

“If a visitor comes to your home, you treat them well, yet we often hear from travelling fans who feel they’re treated as a problem, rather than as a valued guest. Whether it’s high prices or an unfriendly welcome, away supporters are often at the sharp end.

“We want to fix that, stand up for the travelling fan, and highlight those clubs who do it right. It’s in everyone’s interests, particularly in terms of atmosphere in the ground, to have healthy away attendances.”

The price of a match ticket was deemed “important” by 45 per cent of respondents, as was day/time of kick off (53 per cent) and distance of travel (52 per cent). One in every three supporters considered whether friends/family were going as a significant pull factor.

• 64 per cent of fans rated the safety and security of away areas as either good or excellent; while only one in 10 fans rated them as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

• 53 per cent of fans surveyed bought refreshments, but 34% did not think they were value for money, rating the price as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

• 36 per cent of fans travelled to games by car; train/tube/metro was the next popular, accounting for 35 per cent of travelling fans. 26 per cent used buses or coaches.

• 29 per cent of fans rated the comfort of away areas as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, 31 per cent marked the comfort levels as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

• 13 per cent rated pre-match and half-time entertainment as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.